Brooklyn vs Monsey

amother

Yellow

Sun, Sep 11 2022, 12:55 pm

I don’t know if this applies to Monsey, but we were looking into moving to woodmere and we worried about the high property tax— our accountant actually explained we would be saving money!! Bec in woodmere we wouldn’t be paying nyc income taxes which cost us a fortune. So it pays to check if maybe the property tax increase is just instead of the higher income tax we pay in nyc. We would’ve saved 35k in income taxes moving to Long Island. And the property tax wouldn’t increase by that amount!

amother

Grape

Mon, Sep 12 2022, 10:12 am

I dont know how to link it to the earlier post. But in response to your aking about pearl river, yes people are moving there and some parts of pearl river are walking distance to the shuls in dexter park (mostly litvish). There is also a chassidishe shul on pascack road in pearl river. I dont know that area well so I cant give you any specifics, but I know new families are moving there every week. It is mostly young families, but I constantly hear of older families with kids in high school moving too from brooklyn or wherever. You could also look into nanuet which is more litvish and has beautiful homes. Taxes are higher there as well but it sounds like a good fit for you op.

amother

Grape

Mon, Sep 12 2022, 10:45 pm

The areas of pearl river that are adjacent to chestnut ridge are indeed filling up with yidden! 15 years ago, there was barely any jewish life in chestnut ridge, new city or, gasp, haverstraw! Young people are moving as far as stony point to the north, so why not pearl river??

amother

Mon, Sep 12 2022, 10:47 pm

OK, so here is an update:
We were travelling near Monsey today, so we decided to drive around the neighborhoods of three houses that were posted for sale, and are potentially interesting:
One was on Harding st. in Pearls River. We did not see any Jewish presence there. No Mezuza, no Jewish schools. Nothing.
The second house was on Bruce Ct, Ramapo. There, we saw some Jewish people driving by, but we did not see any shuls or schools etc. and we could not tell if the orthodox people we saw actually live in the neighborhood, or were just on their way someplace. The third house we saw (from the outside) was on Turnberry Court in New City. Because it was a quiet cul-de-sac, some neighbors noticed us and were visibly curious. We could not tell if they were Jewish, but there were Mezuza on their homes. We stopped and chatted with them. We found out that they were Jewish but not observant. They knew of one shabbos observant person in the area, and one Chabad shul that was a few minutes drive. Where are all the other shuls? I am thinking people may be davening in basements minyonim -- not visible; making it harder to spot where frum people live.

Maybe we were looking in all the wrong neighborhoods. I don't know.
Meanwhile, DH does not want to put our Brooklyn home on the market until we have a clearer idea of where we are going next. Although I would personally do things concurrently, I can't say I blame him for not being comfortable with the idea.

amother

Mon, Oct 24 2022, 4:05 pm

We are still thinking of moving to Monsey area but we have several concerns:

1. If you used to live in a place with a somewhat warmer climate (think Brooklyn, NY not California), is the winter in the Monsey area a difficult adjustment?
2. If you used to pay much less in property tax, was it stressful at first to get used to the higher taxes? How did you make it work? Does the property tax keep going up frequently? Or does it stay relatively stable?
3. How is health care in the Monsey area? Are there good PCP / family physicians for adults? Do you usually go to the City for specialists?
4. Is it difficult to find good, reliable cleaning help in the various neighborhoods? Moving would likely mean a bigger house which entails more work. As I get older, I find house work to be harder and rely on the help of a cleaning lady for deep cleaning.

There are quite a few houses near Monsey (Suffern, Airmont, and other areas) that are beautiful and are in our price range, but due to the above, I am scared to make the move. Please share your thoughts.

amother

Mon, Oct 24 2022, 11:27 pm

amother OP wrote:

Bump.

amother

Amaranthus

Tue, Oct 25 2022, 1:44 am

amother OP wrote:

1 - No. Not a difficult adjustment at all.
2 - I pay my property tax as part of my mortgage - a one lump sum payment. So when I calculated expenses to consider a move, that one large sum is what I considered. Property tax increases gradually, some years less, some years more. It usually isn't that much of a large sum per year (it adds up slowly though).
3 - Very good. Rarely, if ever do I go into the city for specialists (or anything at all at this point).
4 - Same hard as finding help in Brooklyn. Not particularly hard, not particularly easy.

amother

Blueberry

Tue, Oct 25 2022, 10:04 pm

I would just add to the above, about the weather, that it does typically snow here a little more than in the city so you just need to be prepared for that.

And about cleaning help, some ask for paying for transportation (car service) which is more that in Brooklyn, but generally the going rate is lower than the city rates.

amother

Wed, Oct 26 2022, 12:38 am

amother Amaranthus wrote:

Thanks so much for taking the time to answer me in detail.

Regarding #2: Can you please give me an example of the increases in tax rate, and what it would translate to (roughly) annually? DH is worried that we will not be able to retire if we have to keep coming up with the funds for an ever growing property tax as we get older.

amother

Wed, Oct 26 2022, 12:44 am

amother Blueberry wrote:

Is there a lot more shoveling to do? And do people typically do it themselves or hire someone?
Is the City good about ploughing in a timely fashion? (Not in Monsey proper, but in all the other nearby towns and villages).

Also, does it cost much more to keep the house warm in the winter?

Re cleaning help: I was wondering about that. If we live in a more rural place that does not have too many busses nearby, if we would be expected to drive the cleaning lady to the train or provide car service. That sounds like it could add up (depending how far she is travelling).

amother

Blueberry

Wed, Oct 26 2022, 9:14 am

amother OP wrote:

Where I live, there is no law regarding shoveling, so if you have sidewalk (and lots of houses don't) you do what you want. This possibly varies by neighborhood, I don't know. Ploughing I'm sure, also varies by neighborhood. Each town/village has their own system.

Costs of keeping the house warmer would be effected more by the insulation of house. Temperatures in Monsey vs. Brooklyn are not that different.

amother

Blueberry

Wed, Oct 26 2022, 9:16 am

amother OP wrote:

Re cleaning help: I was wondering about that. If we live in a more rural place that does not have too many busses nearby, if we would be expected to drive the cleaning lady to the train or provide car service. That sounds like it could add up (depending how far she is travelling).

The preferred mode of transportation here is taxi. There is very little public transportation that I know of and that's more in main Monsey area. Neighborhoods on the outskirts don't have transportation at all to the best of my knowledge.

amother

Wandflower

Wed, Oct 26 2022, 9:39 am

amother OP wrote:

Some cleaning ladies drive , they still ask for transportation fee to cover their gas. They sometimes charge $10-$15 a way depending on where you live. I’ve had a hard time finding someone because I live “far out” and the price of taxis plus the travel time makes it not worth it for them sometimes.

Also, most homes have large driveways, in order to get your car in and out you’d have to shovel, use a snowblower or have a company do it. People who have landscapers use the same service for the winter plowing . We do it all ourselves. It’s a lot of work.

You need to ask the owner of whatever home you are looking at to see the utility bills. Every home will be different based on size, insulation etc.

When it comes to plowing some areas are completely neglected. Often the main roads are plowed first . So if you live in a cul de sac out in hutz and plutz your street may get plowed later as it’s not the priority .

amother

Wed, Oct 26 2022, 11:05 am

Thank you for all that additional information. Very helpful! Putting together the info from the last two posts -- the combination of not having public transportation at all, and the possibility of being stuck at home during snow days (if the roads are not ploughed and if we have difficulty getting out of our own driveway), scares me a bit. We are 50 and B"H currently healthy but I am thinking down the road when we are older. I do not want to have to depend on my kids for grocery shopping or to go to the doctor. Is the taxi service reliable on the outskirts of Monsey? Do grocery stores and online vendors (Amazon Fresh etc) deliver in these neighborhoods? I know, I can't eat the cake and keep it whole. I would love to live near nature in a nice, beautiful house and that may mean being in a more remote place that does not have all the ease and amenities of the city, but I also need to be practical and think if this would work. I really can't stay in Brooklyn any longer. This life is not for me, and I have been craving change for a long time. But I do not want to make an impulsive decision that I may regret later.

amother

Wed, Oct 26 2022, 4:38 pm

amother Wandflower wrote:

Looking at prior utility bills is a great idea. Thanks!

amother

Chambray

Wed, Oct 26 2022, 4:45 pm

I live in Brooklyn ( still) and some of my family members in monsey. Regarding snowing more many times the city gets more snow but since monsey is more hilly the slightest snow or if its slippery they have off or delayed start. In the city almost no snow days unless it's a blizzard